About everything - a detailed report from Funtop'98 from MMA (chapter 5-6).

 Chapter V                  
                                          
           Into the Darkness...           
                                          
Hiding  a disk with the works of VVG people, which
they kindly gave it, I stepped with the rest -
mi through the doorway. When is the last one
When those who enteredthe door closed, everyone realized that
"got it"! Inside It was  dark, warm and
FUNTOP not  it smelled...  Somewhat to the touch
we managed to overcome the long corridor from
doors  to  the nearest light source.
Thissource turned out to be interference
This pictureof incident light from the nearest
windows and radiation candles, which  burned
standing  at  entrance watchman.  Overcoming
reduced  illumination, we reached
stairs and steel  to climb. This is the case
It turned out to be  not easy, so  like the 91st school
was five-story, and  on  reconnaissance. data
FUNTOP will take place on the top floor.
                                          
All flight of stairs from fourth to fifth
that floors turned out  clogged  people. Without
special fuss and scandals, they stood in a very
proceed to the common table for registration. Pro-
coming to this place is a relief for me.
elk due to the fact that  ALK took a very
and it was already in my head.          
                                          
                                          
Waiting for the moment of registration to my gaze
appeared  part of the assembly hall, view-
through  unclosed  door. picture
was terrifying!!!  The hall was no different
from his relatives in an ordinary Samara school
- small and well illuminated by the sun.
Both of these  principles  contradicted the
the party concept made me sad.
The picture was complemented by one of the monitors, which
ry stood  in  immediate proximity to
row chairs.  "With  such a small
standing really you can’t watch the demo!”,
I thought  I and began to actively criticize
vat.  Caught behind  my back DAN!!L,
who was already here yesterday, tried
defuse  my anger, assuring that there is no
so bad, the monitors, like the chairs, are
exactly and in general... The registration process itself was a complete
nenie quite impressive in shape, example
which was published shortly before
in  NICRON. However, a fact that bothers me
most shocking was the following:
shem. After 5 minutes of working with the pen, filling
form on myself and on ALK (thank God, I didn’t
began to write detailed contact addresses!)and
parting with 60 rubles, I was given
two vote sheets, names from census sheets -
we  in  general list of visitors, and these two
They offered to take the manuscript with you!
Why  do I fill them out? Well yes
ok, at least they let me in!               
                                          
First of all, according to the old Soviet habit
the seats were occupied. Yes, even on a grand scale -
you are a whole row of six chairs, just in case
case...  Detailedinspection of the site
FUNTOP's research revealed about five monitors
which looked pretty good. Chairs
were grouped into three segments, rear
and  two front ones near the stage. The scene itself
differences from ENLIGHT, was not fenced off
curtains and presented to the public eye.
Large  logo  of the festival, drawn
someone's  diligent hand, showed off on
wall of the hall. Bunches of wires passed to the mo-
nitors directly  on  semi and were tightly
glued  to last with electrical tape and tape
than which in my opinion was not enough
safe.                                
                                          
Two SPECTRUM stood on tables near the stage
us and on one of them apparently they took
bots.  At  extreme  extreme, this was expressed in
permanent  change  program screen ADS to
CONVER  COMMANDER. After being in the deep
bins  ALK's  bags  necessary  disks,
that's where we headed.             
                                          
The problems were immediate. Still waiting
until they accept work from those standing in front of us, I
I remembered  that  MMSM's music  is in
RTZ format, not compiledtogether with
player,  as that  required  conditions
party.  A minute later, when I had already
write all the con-
coursework, a cata-
disk log  somehow recorded in Samara -
there was no music  there at all!  Of course I
made a timid attempt to find her on another
different disks, but to no avail... That's it MMSM
did not take part in FUNTOP'98.            
                                          
However, besides the bummers, there were, of course,
sad moments. Just imagine ALK,
which is 80% sure that the demo is from the disk
does not count, and I, who am so confident,
But the percentage is the opposite. Here we stand
table,  a  ZX-SHADOW(?) copies BlAME tocompetitive  disk. Everything is going according to plan, files
are read and even written, and then ALK publishes
inhuman  scream, pointing a finger at
the light bulb of the disk drive standing next to it - it does not
lights up  (this means the demo is not readable from our
disk)! Shurik, to put it mildly, is in shock, he is
the screen does not look but evaluates what is happening
working  on  light bulbs, like real "jelly"
puppet." Well, I spent about two
with  half a minute to explain
him that our disk is inserted into another disco
water, and it is copied  it to a floppy disk in the third
disk drive, but in general in this computer these
most drives 4(!) pieces.              
                                          
In short, we handed in the work, we sit and look at
parties... It should be noted that all this
time a demo was playing on the monitor screens of the hall
from Global Corp since E'97. I am against this work
you  of course you had nothing, but to describe
At this moment the demo has already ended, and
on the screens the epi-
log - that same indecent aunt, and even
in motion...                             
                                          
                                          
Ulyanovtsy materialized  - MAXWELL and
MR.JONES.  It was great to see Max
after  a whole  year. Soon he came up and
Alexey, who met us at the station. This is where
and  the occupied spaces came in handy.  3a our
two comrades sat with their backs, who after
short-lived torture admitted that they
from   Penza, and  are guilty of  creating the demo
EPICENTRE  OF  RAVE. I was very surprised,
because I've been wanting to meet you for a long time
them.                                     
                                          
Arrived and arrived  people... Table  re-
hystration was simply surrounded by a crowd of thirsty
schi. At this time, being in the "waiting room"
of the assembly hall, I observed an interesting picture -
well: two comrades were hanging a piece of paper on the wall
A4 format, where the skillful hand of the designer was
the inscription "MAGIC and KANO - TRAITORS" is displayed
SPECTRUM". They even offered to press me to
wall  this is  a work of art with a purpose
best  its attachment  through
tape.  However, anticipating the  results
party, I modestly refused, noting about the
I'm sure the photo of Isaiah was cut from mine
photo from a year ago in the AMIGA premises
DIVISION.  In addition to the above poster on
wall  several sheets of paper appeared,
forming a large rectangle. He
slowly began to be covered with rocks
drawings. According to this "nepramehty" one could-
lo  find out which groups and individuals are
are present at the party - everyone tried to increase
immortalize name  your team and city
as much as possible  more  in large letters. I'm
modestly wrote a banal thing at the very bottom:  
       "And after US at least FUNTOP..."       
(Interestingwould like to know the further fate
bu of this "parchment". Maybe someone will scan
did you tear up all the sheets and glue them into one picture?)
                                          
                                          
Themselves "traitors SPECTRUM"  immediately
appear. In the company of MAGIC and KAN0 came
Extreem'sheepMAS BUSTER, TeeRay, TOX, sleep-
ny EXPLODER(!) and another comrade from Vla-
Dimira. Demonstratively not going through the re-
gestation table, Victor and Andrey Dozhda-
until a poster discrediting “honor and dignity”
item",  was crumpled and sent to the nearest
urn, but actually brought it to the “traitors”
all possible apologies.                 
                                          
The delivery of work continued. Soaped organs
nizators copied, restored, formatted
mated, walked around the hall or just stood
They were guarding the equipment. Even ALK and I
once again askedapproach to the table where
solemnly reported that  our demo
"killed"  and it would be nice to copy it again
times. In the left  corner of the hall  there was a brigade
SPRINTER's   and   began  establishment
your miracle of technology.                      
                                          
The ears and eyes of the audience, meanwhile, continue
sting "to please" epilogue from GLOBAL DEMO.
Auntie,  hesitantly parted with her
I'm pretty sick of everyone with underwear. I
approached WLODEK BLACK and asked for
thread this  demo with something else. What for?
I was asked to look into the issue myself
so showing something to bored viewers.  
                                          
                                          
The discs taken from Samara are not rich in software
We were pleased,  but there were spectacular things there. By-
Kaz of the first of them - MAGIC SHOW  - completed -
Xia  failure.  Everything went fine, for
with the exception of  digital  sound, which
it just wasn't  . Apparently a computer on which
rom I ran the demo, was not converted to
playing so  called "Polish"
digitization.  A small thing, of course, but unpleasant.
Here I  found the disk that was sent to me from
Kovrov, with demo BLACK  FURY. It was
a real  spectacle for bored fantops -
Chinese masses.                                
                                          
By  completion  BLACK FURY I planned
run the next dem in the disk directory -
ku  CLIMBATIZE  from  all those same ETERNITY
INDUSTRY,  but  at first SPECTRUM lost
sound, and then instead of my boot on the screen -
Well, the clouds started creeping in. It was...                                           
                 Chapter VI                 
                                          
             The mustdie phenomenon            
                                          
...test activation of SPRINTER. Realizing
that my entertainment mission is complete,
I vacated the place and headed to my
chair.  SPRINTER, meanwhile, was gaining equipment
companies!                                     
                                          
The demonstration of technical capabilities has begun.
news  machines.  Byfor unknown reasons
technical capabilities most  strong
revealed the operating system itself
one in one similar to wIN'9x. There were also
CD-player, and file shell, even gra-
physicaleditor.  But from all this it is so
smelled strongly of the design of standard screws
PaintBrush  and  CD-player, which was possible
only   diva  give,  why  authors
SPRINTERcopy "take it out" one to one?   
After  what I saw  my bitterness towards
SPRINER has only grown, but the people who
who saw this "monster" for the first time,
saw the monitors in a tight circle and listened to every
hometo the words of the authors of the machine. In general, fathers
the new pseudo-SPECTRUM did not strain his
chatters with long speeches, and more and more pressure
or how beautifully their brainchild shows
pictures and how wonderfully audio discs play.
                                          
Demonstration ended  apofigee  (by
opinion  of the authors of the car!) - video from
some rS'shnoy  toy. Color animation
tion, and even so long (5-10 minutes) it’s
of course cool! Even everything is distinguishable and understandable
but, but the sound that accompanied this spectacle -
Well, spoiled the whole picture. I don't know how much
in  this sound  there were bits and kilohertz,  but
personally  I was never able to make out a single one
words.  A long time to come  they were not quiet on the sidelines
debate about what it was - standard
.avi or simplified .mpg ...         
                                          
After  SPRINTER's sky climbed onto the stage
well-known  to ZX-FORMAT readers "Captain
NEMO"  which began to popularly explain
all the delights of your new creation - KAU
1024.  In his hands he held the board of the latter.
On  the captain's face was  extraordinary written
expression of submissive rage, smoothly transferred
walking into uncontrollable calm. Many
classified this facial expression is simpler
-  hangover  syndrome. I won't insist
on  this, but it was very similar. NEMO re-
gave one board of his creation into the hands of the organi-
nizators, asking to give it to someone who
will take firstplace in demo compo.         
                                          
Anticipating the beginning of the first compo, the table re-
gestration  participants were moved to the wall,
and a huge pile of literature appeared on it
ry  by  ZX-SPECTRUM from popular science
to purely second-hand books. Selling there
there are all sorts of glands  type of modems, but in


exclusively in single copies. Nearby
there was a  table  with FUNTOP'98 T-shirts and all kinds of
possible proprietary software provided in
mainly by WELCOME. Thus, those
now everyone passing along the stairs into the hall,
where FUNTOP took place, could stock up on necessary
literature and attributes for better
understanding the process. It should be noted that
us  on   Spectrum literature  were
extremely low, partly apparently due to
reason that the seller was simply getting rid of
goodness he doesn't need. So, for examplefor pure
symbolic  amount of 5 rubles, I became a
the owner of an absolutely rar_item thing - well-
left issue of the magazine "ZX + MORE" (1991) and
three "BYTIKS" per load.               
                                          
Meanwhile  It's time to start first
competition, which became GFX compo... >-----┐
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